


Early Morn

by fishfingersandjellybabies



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-19
Updated: 2015-11-19
Packaged: 2018-05-02 11:22:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5246486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishfingersandjellybabies/pseuds/fishfingersandjellybabies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Damian gets pranked by his older brothers on Christmas morning, so his super stepdad comes happily to the rescue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Early Morn

**Author's Note:**

> a winter holidays 2014 tumblr prompt.
> 
> Bit of a stressful day, so here’s a holiday prompt. Fun fact: the entirety of my old skype conversations are about Bruce and Clark being sleepy dads and getting woken up by Damian for various reasons. Also a lot of farms. (Also, Damian combines Clark’s suggestions and throws ice water on both Dick and Jason. The two spend the rest of the day trying to apologize to baby for lying and avoid the exhausted glare of Batdad. But in the end they have a great holiday with the whole family, so it’s all whatever.)

“Father.”

It was a soft whisper, and Clark heard it first. He inhaled deeply, getting a whiff of the shampooed hair soft against his lips, and tightened his muscles in the hug around Bruce. Bruce’s breathing never changed, and he even let out a light snore.

_“Father.”_

Clark’s eyes cracked open. The room was still dark but a translucent indigo, marking the time as early dawn. Damian was a silhouette against the window, but there was no mistaking his glowing blue eyes, nor his short height. He was kneeling on the mattress by Bruce’s back, shaking his father’s arm gently. His posture was alert, but hesitant, cautious.

“Damian?” Clark asked, raising his head. “What’s wrong? Is everything okay?”

Damian’s eyes shot up, but they didn’t narrow, not like they used to. It’d been a long process, full of more steps back than small victories, but it was worth it, to be accepted by this little warrior.

Damian stared at him for a moment, before his gaze dropped down to Bruce in embarrassment.

“You’re not hurt, are you?” Clark pressed, trying to sit up slightly. Bruce’s arms flopped uselessly around him, making it difficult to move. “Nightmares?”

“No, I’m fine.” Damian shook his head. As Clark’s eyes adjusted to the dark, he could see the pout on Damian’s face, the harsh look of concentration. Suddenly Damian sighed, released Bruce’s bicep, crossed his arms and hunched in on himself. “This is pointless.”

“What’s pointless?”

Suddenly Bruce jerked, letting out a light moan as his eyes blinked open. “Whass…it? What’sss happening? Who’re you…talking to?”

Clark smiled down at him. “Your son.”

Bruce immediately sobered, turning around. “What’s wrong?” he demanded, grabbing Damian’s forearm. “Are you alright? Did you have nightmares again?”

Clark chuckled as Damian just rolled his eyes. “ _No_. I’m _fine_.”

“Then…” Bruce grunted as he twisted further, glancing at the clock on the nightstand. “…what’re you doing here?”

“Aren’t I supposed to be?” Damian asked. For a second, both men thought he was being sarcastic, but then realized that he was being completely serious. “It’s…Christmas morning.”

“So?” Bruce responded blandly, almost dumbly. Clark smacked him with an incredulous huff and Bruce just looked at him with slight betrayal.

“ _So_.” Clark repeated mockingly. He grinned widely and leaned over Bruce to give Damian his full attention. “You’re right, buddy. It _is_ Christmas morning. Are you excited?”

“Um…are people normally?” Damian asked, shyly. He turned away, glancing over at the doorway.

“Clark, get off.” Bruce grumbled, pushing and pulling at his silky pajama top. Clark ignored him, and even went as far as to tug his hand off Damian’s arm. Bruce pursed his lips in a clear look of annoyance, and only a little jealousy.

“Grayson merely said this was an American tradition.” Damian mumbled. “That on Christmas morning, children are supposed to wake their parents by jumping on their bed. Todd said the deed had to be done as early as possible. Neither said I had to _feel_ anything.”

Bruce groaned, rubbing his hand down his face. “God. _Damn_. It.”

“Hush. They mean well…probably.” Clark practically giggled. Damian looked up in confusion. “Well, they’re not _wrong_. It is a tradition for children to wake their parents in excitement on Christmas morning. Can’t open gifts without the head of the household, right?”

“ _Not_ at five in the morning.” Bruce mumbled.

“ _Yes_ at five in the morning.” Clark scolded, but quickly looked back at Damian, whose face was slowly morphing into guilt. “Don’t worry, kiddo. You did the right thing. Promise. Are Dick and Jason making the coffee?”

“…I would presume they’re still sleeping.” Damian pouted. Clark’s eyebrows rose. Bruce just sighed again. “Or…was I…?”

“Nope, you’re good!” Clark immediately grinned, throwing the covers back. Bruce shivered and tried to curl into Clark’s side, but the man was already gone, jumping out of bed and holding his hand out to Damian. “It just sounds like your brothers forgot one _teensy_ bit of the tradition.”

Damian eyed his hand. After a moment his eyes widened, a light blush dusting his cheeks. Clearly he’d just realized he’d been played by his brothers. He tried to hide it though, keeping his gaze lowered. “And…what did they forget?”

“Kid who wakes the parents gets to wake their siblings.” Clark winked. “In _any way_ they _want_.”

Damian looked up instantly, and his eyes seemed to brighten with mischievous glee. “…Does that include minor stabbing?”

“Hm…no.” Clark decided. “No bodily harm. But I will allow the use of ice cubes, and or throwing water on faces. At least for Dick and Jason. Tim, Cass, Kon and Kara with more…mild means. Maybe just jumping on their beds, or tearing their covers off.”

“Fair enough.” Damian conceded. His arm twitched, obviously about to reach up and take Clark’s, before he looked down at Bruce. “Father…?”

“Go on ahead.” He grunted as he stretched and slowly sat up. He gave Damian a sleepy grin and ruffled his hair. “I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

“…okay.” Damian agreed. He bypassed Clark’s still-outstretched hand as he slid off the mattress, but didn’t shrug the hand off when it wrapped around his shoulders. Clark instantly fell into a reverie about his own childhood Christmases as the two walked across the room, and Damian stared up at him with a little bit of awe.

“Damian.” Bruce called as the two reached the door. They both turned back, their curious blue eyes almost matching. Bruce smiled warmly. “It’s been a while since the whole family has been home for the holidays. I’d…forgotten. About the traditions. So…thank you. For reminding me. For waking us.”

Damian’s lips parted in surprise. Suddenly, his shoulders dropped and the tension dissipated from his body. He nodded regally. “You’re…welcome, Father.”

“Merry Christmas, son.”

“And to you.” Damian returned. Clark just noticed the blush deepening on the little boy’s face as he slipped quickly out the door.

Clark turned back to the bed, returning the smile. “I’ll get started on that coffee after we wake the others, then I’ll come back and get you, okay?”

Bruce flopped back into the pillows with a grateful groan as Clark disappeared after Damian with a laugh. “ _Thank you_.”


End file.
